Pavel Durov: Free Speech Hero Against the State

It was not until August 24, 2024 that Pavel Durov burst into the forefront of the public consciousness. Not that the 120th richest person in the world with $15.5 billion (Forbes) isn’t notable just for that. But it’s Durov’s social media accomplishments that truly distinguish him—and his public stand for internet freedom that underscores his dynamic role in that world.

Durov’s first achievements in social media took place in his native Russia, when he cofounded the social networking site VKontakte (VK) in 2006. Disputes surrounding the site and subsequent interference from the Russian government prompted Durov to leave his native country in 2014, just a year after developing the groundbreaking networking site Telegram with his brother, Nikolai. In 2017, it moved the company HQ to the United Arab Emirates.

In August, Durov told the court that he had come for an arranged meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, which Macron denied. The charges leveled against him were based on the notion that his Telegram site was insufficiently monitored, and thus allowed for the free flow of criminal activity.

To Durov’s thinking, the internet is free. The exchange of ideas ought to be facilitated, not suppressed. His arrest was in fact the fruit of a long term joint surveillance operation dubbed “Purple Music,” and carried out by the French government in cooperation with the UAE. Both governments wanted the key to Durov’s encryption codes — just as the Russians had.

The French claimed to be concerned with cybercriminals, drug traffickers and Islamic extremists, while the UAE was focused on the possible use of the Telegram app by dissidents and pro-democracy activists, despite having invested $75 million in Telegram in 2021.

Pavel Durov is free to roam again. But his case could be a preview of a clash – internet titans versus the state – that we’re likely to see more of in the coming years.

This profile is part of CoinDesk's Most Influential 2024 package. For all of this year's nominees, click here.